Toy maker Hasbro announced today that, beginning in 2020, it plans to begin phasing out plastic from new product packaging, including plastic elements like polybags, elastic bands, shrink wrap, window sheets and blister packs. The company’s ambition is to eliminate virtually all plastic in packaging for new products by the end of 2022.

Hasbro eliminated wire ties in 2010 and added How2Recycle labeling in 2016. Most recently, the company launched a toy recycling program with TerraCycle. Hasbro’s Sustainability Center of Excellence is charged with driving the integration of sustainability across the business, including driving sustainable packaging design principles.

Hasbro’s Toy Recycling Program enables consumers to send used Hasbro toys and games to TerraCycle, a global product recycling company, who will recycle them into materials to be used in the construction of play spaces, flowerpots, park benches and other innovative uses. Hasbro recently announced the expansion of the program to France, Germany and Brazil, and plans to expand the program to additional markets with the goal of ensuring all Hasbro toys and games are recyclable in the major markets where it does business.

In 2018, Hasbro announced plans to begin using plant-based bio-polyethylene terephthalate for blister packs and plastic windows in its product packaging beginning next year.

The company says it will use bioPET plastic made with 30% plant-based material derived from agricultural by-products. This decision is part of Hasbro’s push to make its packaging less reliant on non-renewable resources.

Pawtucket, Rhode Island-based Hasbro was originally incorporated in 1926 and has become a multinational toy and entertainment company known for brands that include Monopoly, Mr. Potato Head, Nerf, My Little Pony, G.I. Joe, Play-Doh, and Magic: The Gathering.

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